Siva Grand Beach Hotel

Overview

Ratings summary

Rating by feature

3.5
room

3.5
pool

3.5
beach

3
service

4
dining

3.5
amenities

3.5
value

3.5
food

3.5
cleanliness

3.5
location

44
Traveller reviews from Holiday Watchdog

Let Down By Choice Of Food

3

Average

by A TripAdvisor Member

"Stayed in Siva Grand Beach for two weeks from 10 - 24 March. Cant fault the hotel, it's clean, staff are friendly, beach is great, and the pool is heated. Service was good and staff did not once ask for payment or reward.

I travelled with two friends and our combined visits to Egypt total 13. Hotel staff suggested that we
could consider ourselves Egyptian for the amount of times we have visited their country. Our previous visit had been to Sharme in January of this year. (The snorkelling and diving is much better in Sharme)Our only critism of this hoel was the choice of food particually in the main resturants for evening meal. Themed nights were posted daily outside the dining rooms, but each day offered the same limited choice. My companions are both vegetarian and could only eat potatoes, rice and pasta together with a small selection of vegetables and salad. On several occasions we elected to eat out of the hotel, the Italian restaurant 'Mafia' can be highly recommended and a Thai restaurant is to open soon. We all felt that for the many all inclusive holidays that we have taken in countries all over the world that the food was dissapointing to say the least.

We went on organised trips out to Luxor, Valley of the Kings travelling in convoy of approx. 50 coaches, a five hour trip each way, but worth it. A desert safari was also good fun, taking in a visit to a Bedouin camp and seeing a mirage in the desert. A relaxing boat trip was also good to end the holiday.

There are many Germans staying at the hotel but we did not experiance any divide or segregation, and there were always plenty of sun beds available without having to get up at the crack of dawn to secure a place on the beach or by the pool."

Holiday details

Travel date: Tue 28th of March 2006

Our honeymoon

4

Good

by bob&viv

"The Siva Grand Beach

After reading âfeedbackâ on line we were apprehensive to say the least! However this apprehension was totally unjustified.

In General

Although a large complex it was still very open and un-crowded, there were no queues at the bars/restaurants and the staff were fantastic. One of the comments I read stated the staff were always after âBahkshishâ, (Tips) we found this totally false. The hotel has a policy for the staff to not ask for gratuities. Having said that, if you look at the average wage for a waiter/house keeper being 200 Egyptian Pounds (Â£20) per month, tips are vital. I tipped our cleaner weekly and I can not fault his service.

Food

Although not spectacular I can find no faults, the selection was very good with everything from sea bass to hot dogs. Lunch is best at the âOasisâ (Buffet) or burgers at the âGrill House by the pool. There are a total of 3 main restaurants (All help yourself buffet style), one grill and a âcrepe/ice-creamâ bar. If you check out the map/time-table that you get on arrival you can eat from 07:00 till midnight with no gaps. (Burp!)

The Room

We had a âJunior Suiteâ on the second floor overlooking the pool and a sea view. What can I say? The bed was about 7 feet by 7 I lost my wife twice!! The usual things like the plastic balcony furniture, dressing table, bedside table and occasional table, however there is also a rattan 3 piece suite. There is a 3 mirrored door built in wardrobe including an electronic safe, plenty of hanger and shelf space. The bathroom is âbig enoughâ with a small bath/shower, loo and wash-hand basin. A previous guest commented on the grouting, duh! This is Egypt not England. Both the bath-room and the room were kept spotless by âBadawiâ our house keeper.
The Pool Area

A large freeform pool thatâs not too deep (Max 1.9mtr) and a separate kidâs pool. Both are heated in fact they are warm enough to shave in! There is a swim up bar (Free), plenty of sun beds in and out of the shade with large towels and mattresses supplied. The only time we felt cold was when we got out of the pool and got the chill of the wind.
The Beach

Coral and shell beach with approx 200 sun-beds with either Â½ moon wind breaks or straw parasols again very clean, The beach area is right in front of the âOasisâ restaurant so its handy for food and drinks. The hotel rules state you canât go down early in the morning and reserve a bed, Ha!! As 80% of the guests a German, what do you think? I went down at nine oâclock one morning and found every sun-bed with a wind-break had towels on them. I waited for a few hours and some beds had not been used by 11! There is Aerobics daily, a beach football pitch, volley ball and âBocciaâ (A bit like the French Boule)

Entertainment

There is a show in reception every night, these tend to be revues of well known shows i.e. Lion king, Blues Brothers etc. Although not 100% professional the enthusiasm was fantastic. Prior to the show the kids are entertained by the staff with games and dancing for about 1 hour which they seemed to enjoy. There are also theme nights, for example on Mondays there is the âOriental Nightâ with belly dancers, Whirling Dervishes etc. this costs Â£6 but it is good fun (Food & Booze inc) Daily by the pool you have âPool Aerobicsâ and also the chance to try SCUBA diving for free. To book the âSpecialâ nights you can see any of the guys in beige shirts that walk around everywhere, they are friendly and not pushy, (Ask for Adel, he is very helpful).

Trips

To be honest we wanted a quiet time and didnât expect to take any trips but in the end we went to Luxor. It cost Â£100(UK) per person but it was worth it. From the whole of the Red Sea Resorts Hotels (7 in all) there was only my wife and I and two others so we had a 9 seater mini bus and an English speaking guide to ourselves. An early start at 5am, (Donât forget to order a breakfast box) then a 40 min dive to the convoy reception point (Yes convoy! Three times a day from Hurghada to Luxor, approx 100 buses and mini busses with three armed police and army vehicle). The run through the dessert was interesting! If you think the drivers on the M25 are bad you ainât seen nothing yet!! Once there the tour starts immediately, you will see everything and itâs great. Accommodation overnight is in A French hotel (The Mecure) Lounge and reception is great however the rooms are âCrapâ very basic but for one night it was worth it.

Hurghada Itself

This consists of only one main street with plenty of shops/Bank/Restaurants. Good shopping but you must haggle. One embarrassing experience I had was when I was buying stuff to take back (Souvenirs etc) the cost came to what I thought was Â£160, I spent the next 10 mins haggling it down to about Â£120 only to discover he was talking 160 Egyptian, I could have got stung really badly. I was going to give him Â£120 when the real cost was Â£12. I bet he is still kicking himself. If you turn left out of the resort there are shops for about 500m there is also a Egyptian duty free shop, there you can buy all the booze and cigs you need, beware however if you buy non-Egyptian you will need your passport and you are limited to amounts, having said that local booze and cigs are OK both in taste and cost, EG 1ltr Vodka (40%) cost 7â¬ 200 L&M ciggies will cost the same.

Summary
On a 1-100 scale
Food75
Room99
Pool99
Beach80
Trip80
Town60 (only because of a strange smell and my wife felt a little uncomfortable at night)

Yes there were a lot of Germans but that didnât really detract from the holiday, lets be serious, weâve all been embarrassed by âBritsâ on holiday at some time. You get good and bad everywhere!

On the whole a great resort and the staff were fantastic. Yes I would and probably come again and again and again.

Holiday details

Travel date: Sun 26th of March 2006

Fantastic, relaxing week

5

Brilliant

by Mrs_McDonald

"After reading some of the reviews I was a little apprehensive about what to expect (I can contract dysentery in Doncaster), which is why I feel compelled to give my review of the hotel and hopefully put potential visitors at ease.

The hotel was lovely - better than it appears in the pictures. The food was warm and varied (not a dodgy tum in the place). The rooms are spotless. The service fantastic. English are in the minority but so what, the main reason for travelling is to meet other people from different places - enjoy it!

All of the staff from the gardeners through to management was friendly and helpful. Nobody loitered expecting tips and we did not have any difficulty in being served nor did we witness any favouritism to a particular nationality either.

We had a brilliant week where we managed to do nothing except eat, swim and relax which is what we wanted. The animation team worked tirelessly to entertain and involve everyone.

Some points to consider:
Do not change a lot of money unless you plan to do lots of trips or shopping. If you are all inclusive you probably only need Â£10 tops for tips etc.
It is a very windy place (which you are glad of when the temperature is high) so take a cardigan.
There is nothing outside of the hotel really.

My only disappointment was that although we were on the red sea to see the coral etc. you needed to take a snorkelling trip.

I took my own snorkelling gear and when I ventured out past the shelf (which is excellent for kiddies by the way as it is nice and shallow and goes out for about 40-50 metres) it drops off quite rapidly and there were jelly fish, not sure of the type but I think all types sting so I kept my distance.

I would recommend this hotel to anybody wanting a relaxing break surrounded by pleasant, friendly hotel staff in a lovely warm climate."

Holiday details

Travel date: Fri 24th of March 2006

Definite Recommendation, better than most

5

Brilliant

by phillbatty

"We were due to depart on Friday 24th of February but following several (-) ups with planes ended up flying 23 and half hours later on the Saturday morning. Annoying since we were only having a week anyway, but all credit to MyTravel we were allocated overnight accommodation at the Raddison SAS, 5 minutes walk from the terminal, so effectively had a twin centre holiday. Manchester and Hurghada, exotic no? So this gives me chance to review both hotels. Iâd definitely recommend the Raddison to anyone looking to stay overnight before flying, excellent location and they allow you to park up in their secure car park and donât move your car to an off site location like most other airport hotels. The room we were allocated was on floor 6 (Oriental themed rooms) and was excellent. Big very clean bathroom, very good powerful shower, and large comfortable firm bed. We didnât sample the restaurant menu as a set dinner and breakfast was provided for all delayed passengers canteen style by MyTravel. The food was excellent though and Iâm sure the restaurant would only be better. The bar was quite pricey however. All staff were very helpful and we shall definitely use this hotel again.

So eventually we got airborne and over to Egypt, usual charter flight nothing special. On arrival at Hurghada you have to go get your visa (Â£10pp) and go through a couple passport checks. Iâve heard a lot of moans from previous reviews about queuing and the airport, but in general itâs no worse than any other similar destinations, Dom. Rep, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Iâve encountered very similar practices. Then there was the usual rush for baggage which took ages to come. Once you have your bags someone will try to give you a trolley for a fee, but donât bother, itâs only a 300m walk to the transfer busses.

The transfer was only about 15 minutes and we were lucky in that we were first drop off.
First impressions of the hotel were good, nice courtyard where the bus pulls in, with polished marble steps up in to the main entrance hall and reception area. This is a relaxed area, always immaculate, spacious and lots of comfortable sofas and lounge chairs.

We were allocated a ground floor bungalow room, which are located along the flanks of the complex, so no sea or pool view but I got the holiday on the cheap so knew we were not in the main hotel building. The room was more than adequate however and better than I expected being the cheap rooms, very clean, huge bathroom, again with excellent over bath powerful shower, large mirror with shaver point and hairdryer (which Wife said was mediocre/ok). Large marble shelf/table to store sun creams, tooth brush etc. with 2l bottle of mineral water. (Every day a new bottle even if previous one was unopened) The bed was extra large, almost a triple, firm and very comfortable. The room had triple wardrobe though only 3 hangers. Safe which is free to use, you set the number. TV was a bit (-), only two or three English channels, non stop movie channel was good though. The room had remote controlled air con though annoyingly your room keycard activates electric when inserted in to a slot by the door so when you leave and take your key electric goes off as does the air con. Not a problem at this time of year but I can imagine very annoying at the height of summer. The mini bar was reasonably well stocked and prices were not too high (Can of Coke 40p). The room had a terrace overlooking the gardens at the back of the main hotel building, sitting out on an evening or after the bars had closed with a tin from the fridge was very peaceful, almost silent, though we did talk to a couple who were stopping in a bungalow nearer to the main restaurants and they complained about noisy air con extractors running 24-7.

The complex its self is large enough for a stroll round but not overly big. Various bars, 2 main restaurants, beach restaurant and pool snack bar/grill, all of which we tried, and all served good quality food. A lot of people have commented on the food saying how rubbish it was, frankly I have to disagree. There was always plenty of choice and dishes varied widely to cater for all tastes. Sadly I thought there was little local influence in the food, so, typically Egyptian it is not. If youâre that fussy though, fill up on burgers and fries at lunch time or try one of the many restaurants out front of the hotel complex. If you wait to be seated you may get sat with others, often foreign, easiest way round this was not to be seated by the staff. As Iâm sure you will be aware the hotel is populated mainly by Germans with a large proportion of Russian and Eastern Europeans also. Staff generally speak better German than English but âbig beerâ is universally understood so I was happy.

Whilst on the subject of Germans and Russians, many gripes have been aired regarding pushing in etc. This is not exactly true. Germans especially, tend to arrive at the bar and ask for what they want, the barman will then get their drink in turn. As typical English we donât speak until spoken to, which puts us at a disadvantage. Try playing the Crouts at their own game. It also helps if you learn the barmanâs name. If that still doesnât work use one of the self serve pumps. Some previous reviews have also mentioned tipping and that all staff expect it. We never really tipped anyone. Being a Yorkshire man I find it difficult to part with any money and in all honesty it didnât make an ounce of difference. Donât be fooled in to thinking you get treated better after tipping, tip early and they will expect more. Spend a moment chatting and learn names. A smile and a joke went a lot further than 50p in getting served quicker at the bars.

At this time of year there were always plenty of pool side beds available though the beach beds do go quicker especially at the waters edge. We found no need to get up too early to reserve a bed although we did anyway so that we could guarantee being on the other side to the kids pool which does get a bit noisy at times. Again at busier times this may be a bit more problematic. The pool was heated so was a very comfortable temperature. I must admit that I was disappointed by the beach, the sand was coarse and in parts very gravelly but it was clean and had life guards. The snorkeling too was disappointing; a few fish and cucumbers to see on the reef wall but nothing like what I expected from the Red Sea. Motorised users have apparently all but destroyed the corals on the shoreline so for great snorkeling it is well worth taking day trips out to the better sites.

I chose the Red Sea for our holiday destination simply to do diving and organised my dives through Eurodivers. They visit Siva daily and are actually one of the cheapest dive centres in Hurghada anyway. The dive centre is actually located at one of Sivaâs sister hotels, The Grand Hotel. The Grand is much bigger than Siva and the facilities donât seem as good, I wasnât impressed with it at all. The Grand Resort is located on the other side of the busy road from the Grand Hotel and shares lots of its facilities, including the beach, which was surprisingly crammed even in February. It does have 2 water slides though if you like that kind of thing. Anyway, Eurodivers were fantastic, excellent staff, equipment and boats, and the dive sites I visited were equal to any I have dived previously. Erug Giftun was especially nice. A free shuttle bus runs between the hotels hourly except at 5pm for some reason, but if you are doing any full or half day boat dives the dive centre will send a bus for you in the morning and drop you off again in the evening.

We also did the Luxor day trip. Long day but well worth it. Canât go to Egypt and not visit really.

Overall Both my wife and I were very impressed with the hotel in every way. I was a little apprehensive following other reviews on TripAdvisor but shouldnât have worried. We found very little that could have been better. We very much enjoyed our 6 days at Siva and would be happy to go back anytime. We would give a definite recommendation for the Siva, and from what we saw of the other hotels in Hurghada, it seemed better than most."

Holiday details

Travel date: Fri 24th of March 2006

WOW its amazing

5

Brilliant

by beddows

"I am now in love with egypt!

me and my friend went to the Siva mid feb for a 2 week stay and i must be honest, it is the best holiday i have ever had.
on arrival we were greated with friendly happy staff and this continued throughout our entire stay.
We checked in and left our bags with the bell boy and made our way up to our room. we were staying in one of the junior suites and the extra charge is well worth it. the room was clean, tidy and had loads of space and to top it off we looked out over the pool and the sea. our bags were in our room in about 5 minutes. the bell boy did expect a tip but when you hear how poor their pay is you dont mind handing over a couple of english pounds!
our first dinner was abit daunting, the restaurant was large but all the staff were friendly, we were sat at a table with a German couple who immediatly smiled and said hello. the food was lovely especially the deserts.
we explored the hotel the second day and were amazed by the pool and the beach and all the other facilities, there were staff everywhere waiting to help you.
there was pleanty to do within the hotel complex so we spent most of our days sunning ourselves on the beach. however we did take advantage of the tour reps tours and went on a day trip to cairo, a day trip to luxor, a desert safari and a day snorkling. they were all amazing and highly recommended.
there are a few points which should be noted when staying at the Siva, these are:
although it is all inclusive, they will try to sell you fresh juice at breakfast and wine at dinner, if you say no they will leave you alone.
my honest opinion about the siva grand beach is that it is the best hotel i have ever stayed in. i work as a head receptionist in a hotel so i know how it all works in the industry and the service provided at the siva was first class.
the staff rely on tips to boost their poor wages so anything you can spare is appreciated.
i am definatly returning to Egypt and would be more than happy to return to the Siva again."

Holiday details

Travel date: Tue 21st of March 2006

Shame about the catering

4

Good

by A TripAdvisor Member

"Just spent a week here. The hotel is constantly being cleaned and as a result looks very good. The staff were very helpful altough the room staff and bell boys are always trying to get tips, which I was expecting having 'done' Egypt before. They go to great lengths to point out that they carried your case or left the bottle of water in the room to get paid. Didn't see evidence of different/better treatment for Germans.
Pool and beach area really good with plenty of sunbeds available, though the beach itself is quite firm.
Biggest disappointment was the food. Whilst it was well prepared, there was no variation from night to night in the type of food available, and I don't believe it was there to cater for the predominantly German clientele, as I lived in Germany for some time and don't recall German cuisine to be like this. Being on my own, I was subject to being directed towards already occupied tables or having a family parked next to me on a regular basis. On 2 occasions, I 'marked' my (2 seat) table with a glass of wine while I collected my meal, only to find the table occupied by someone else and my wine removed. The trick is to leave 1 member of the party to 'guard' the table it seems, but if you are alone.........?
If they could resolve these shortcomings, I would certainly recommend the hotel, and if you can live with them it's good in all other aspects. Personally, I think the dining (particularly the evening meal) is a big part of a holiday and this alone would prevent me returning."

Holiday details

Travel date: Mon 20th of March 2006

Great Hotel

5

Brilliant

by Big_Rob_G

"We have just returned from a weeks break at the Siva Grand Beach Hotel. The hotel was immaculate and on such a grand scale. The staff were polite and helpful. Our room was very clean and overlooked the pool and the red sea. There is a mini bar and TV which has English/American channels. Daily there is plenty to keep you going if your feeling energetic!!! there is beach volleyball, aqua aerobics, football, or if you just want to take it easy there are plenty sunbeds around the poolside and sunbeds on the beach. The private beach is kept clean and tidy. One downside, the sand is a bit gritty and sharp. The food was good and there is a excellent selection. We came away for a "chill out" week and thats exactly what we done. The weather was red hot during the day however it got quite cold on an evening if we sat outside on the terrace bar. I would reccomend this hotel and would definately return."

Holiday details

Travel date: Sun 19th of March 2006

Nice Hotel - Poor Service

3

Average

by helonita

"We have just come back from this hotel after a weeks stay. In our experience although it was a nice hotel, it does have a high number of German guests, this caused a number of problems. At dinner time you will be placed at tables with German Guests, and on occassion waiters even split parties up and placed them on separate tables.

Staff at the hotel will automatically assume that you are German, when going to reception we were greated in German without waiting to see what nationality we were.

The quality of food is not up to the standard expected from a 4 star hotel, the variety of food could have been improved.

The level of service you received from restaurant and bar staff depended on whether you were British or German. German guests received drink and food orders in a prompt fashion where as British guests were conveniently forgotten. In order to get some service of any sort you had to give the waiters money, they then remember your order. After waiting over 10 minutes for a waiter we tried to give a waiter and order, he said he did not understand and moved to the next table and took an order for german guests and the drinks were on the table within minutes. We then gave another waiter Â£3 and he then managed to remember our order, this should not happen in an all inclusive hotel.

Although the hotel is all inclusive, and should include local beers and spirits, it is not quite true for example you can order a glass of local beer but if you order a bottle of the same beer you have to pay extra. The mini bar is not free and you have to pay for fresh juice. In addition you can not get tea or coffee before 12pm and even this is subject to change as the opening times can change without notice.

We will not be staying at this hotel again, as although it looks spectacular and has some good facilities, it does not make up for the poor service.

British guests staying at this hotel should be aware that the level of service they receive at this hotel will be poor."

Holiday details

Travel date: Sat 18th of March 2006

Christmas in Egypt

4

Good

by A TripAdvisor Member

"Excellent hotel. Very clean. There was always someone doing something!
The waiters particularly, but all the staff couldn't do enough for you.
Water was delivered to your room to clean your teeth. (2 bottles on New Years day, I must have looked rough!)
Any problems that came up were dealt with promptly.
Husband is veggie, but will eat fish. Some nights no fish on buffet - spoke to Matre D', organised his own meal to be cooked for him, so couldn't moan! Think my hubby had the best deal there! The all inclusive was great, always something to eat and drink. Buffets in the evening could have been better, but had worse.
Security guard would organise a taxi for you if you were going out.
Not alot to do outside the hotel, but we did our research and knew that before we got there.
We came back relaxed, refreshed and happy.
Very impressed with Life Guards around the pool. (Watched my son like a hawk the 1st time in pool to make sure he could swim ok!)
My son also learnt to Wind Surf on the private beach - made his holiday!
All in all, a fantastic holiday. Never do the Canaries again!"

Holiday details

Travel date: Fri 24th of February 2006

Super Siva

5

Brilliant

by woodscorner

"Agree with a lot of what the last post says. A very accurate summary. We had 2 adults and 2 children and upgraded from a junior suite to a suite -GBP100. Worth every penny. You get two huge room in prime spot. Ask to view the room first. Agree it was spotlessly clean. Food - we found just about ok. Only the dinner in evening was a bit disappointing. Germans like it. Maybe I'm fussy but it was only OK. Loads of choice so you'll always find something. You can easily make up for it at breakfast - some fruit and fresh bread, poached eggs etc. Also pool side lunch bar -burgers hot dogs chips all very good. Crepes donuts and ice creams excellent. Full buffet in the beach restaurant as well.
Weather was always hot sunny but sometimes a cool wind blows. The pools were excellent and heated.
Our girls are 7 and 5 and enjoyed every minute. Nice play area on the beach."

Holiday details

Travel date: Fri 24th of February 2006

Brilliant hotel and staff

5

Brilliant

by Woowendy

"This was our third visit in a year. The staff can't do enough for you. Muhammed on reception always gives you the best room he can (shame people are still not happy with a free upgrade). He's most helpful. The bar, pool and restaurant staff are all very friendly and look after everyone so well no matter what country you are from. The hotel is very clean. If you visit find out about options for evening meals, there is more than just a buffet "

Holiday details

Travel date: Sat 17th of September 2016

Rating breakdown

5
Location

5
Beach

5
Room

5
Pool

5
Service

5
Value

5
Food

5
Cleanliness

Affordable clean hotel

3

Average

by Farida B

"The main reason we went for this hotel was because of the price. You get what you pay for. The hotel was clean and staff were friendly even though most can't speak English. But hotel needs updating TV is old and mostly catered for the German and all bedding's and towels need changing as they're really old. Has few issues with air conditioning as they were weren't cooling the room and got locked out of my room due to door lock malfunctioning. Food is average and pretty much the same everyday and were quite tasteless. As we were on all inclusive deal drinks were available all day and offers snacks as well which was the same all the time. The only good thing about this hotel was the private beach and located close to the airport. If you wish to do excursions then please use the ones at the hotel instead of the local ones the hotel will be more pricey but will be more reliable than the one we went to. Beware of the taxi drivers as they will try on con you and charge you at a ridiculous price. But all in all the holiday was ok and I do recommend this hotel as it was cheap deal but honestly I won't be going back there again."

Stayed at Siva Grand Beach Hotel? Share your insight.

Top traveller tips for Siva Grand Beach Hotel

"The hotel is in a good location with it's own promenade, brilliant for for socialising, eating, shopping and much more. "

by price family

"Try the different resturants "

by jasperbaby

"please best would be dnt go in this hotel "

by Essex Girl (Sam)

"Don't do the Asian Night at the Oasis Restaurant - it was nice but a bit of a rip off as the Egyptian dancers were then outside on the main stage doing the same routine for free and we paid GBR 15 each "